


One Small Day

by where_the_kissing_never_stops



Category: New Blood (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, i needed to get this out of my system, only a little bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 15:12:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8213713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/where_the_kissing_never_stops/pseuds/where_the_kissing_never_stops
Summary: Rash is behaving rather strangely, and Stefan is 'mildly' concerned.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note - this hasn't been proof read yet, so I hope there aren't many mistakes. I just wanted to type it up as quickly as I could and share it.

Stefan pressed the lift button and waited. Work hadn’t been too bad today, just dull. All paperwork, nothing of the excitement and near-death experiences of previous months. The lift bell sounded and the metallic doors slid open, revealing Rash in a navy suit and tie, holding a bunch of flowers.

“Oh,” said Stefan, surprised. “Hey, Rash.” He moved out of the way so Rash could exit the lift.  
“Hey, Stefan.” Rash’s dark eyes didn’t meet Stefan’s.

“Off out?” Stefan tried to unfreeze the tense air that surrounded them.

“Yep.” Silence. They both shifted awkwardly, and as Rash made to head off, Stefan stuck up the conversation again.

“So who’s the lucky lady?”

Rash sighed. “There’s no lucky lady, this is nothing like tha-”

“Oh come on, you’re all dressed up!” Stefan bumped his friend’s shoulder. “So what’s the occasion? Meal? Performance? Both?”

“Stefan, let me-”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been called into work after hours. I bet the flowers are for Sands, to try and get a smile out of him-”

“Oh just- just drop it will you!” Rash raised his voice loud enough to make heads turn from the reception desk. Stefan flinched at his tone, hurt, but before he could apologise, Rash brushed past him and walked out the door and into the cold.

Stefan just watched his friend leave, not knowing whether to shout after him or not. As the door closed behind his friend, the only option left was to head up to his- their flat and try and work out what on earth’s going on.

  


* * *

  


Up in the flat, Stefan had dumped his things on his desk and texted Leila. _Something’s up with Rash. Can you speak to him?_ He held onto his phone a little too tightly whilst punching the letters in with force, and placed his phone on the work surface with a worried look on his face. There was nothing he could do now, except wait for Rash to come home so they could talk.

He went into the kitchen, switched the lights on and turned on the radio. On came a blues song that was, surprisingly, way too upbeat, but turned over to the news which was too depressing. After flicking through a handful of stations he settled on a sports commentary, something gentle that could go in one ear and out the other without affecting his mood. He made himself a cup of tea and sliced a bagel in half, putting it in the toaster while he let his drink cool. He looked out the window and gazed over the London skyline. He never tired of the view. As he watched the clouds his mind wandered back to Rash. What had made him so on-edge? Why did he snap like that? Was Stefan too forward in his remarks? Well, Rash had never retorted like that before. Was-

The toaster pinged, making Stefan jump a mile. He made his way over to the toaster, via the fridge and the cutlery drawer and buttered himself the toasted bagel, unsuccessfully avoiding burning his fingers in the process. As he ate and drank he tried to focus on the radio instead of letting his thoughts wander again. He heard the word ‘penalty’ but that didn’t narrow down the sport. He and Rash never really listened to the sports commentaries that were on the radio, they just made fun of how overly enthusiastic the commentators were, doing impersonations while the other cooked, or commentating themselves on what they could see out of the window and onto the streets below. And again, his mind had wandered back to Rash. Holding his bagel in his mouth, he wiped his hands on a towel and checked his phone. Leila had texted back. _He’s fine, just not a great day for him.If you could keep him company that would be great. Don’t let him be on his own. Thanks Stefan xxx._

He swallowed the dregs of his tea and sat there. What could have upset him so much? He stood up to rinse his cup and plate (why use a dishwasher when you’ve got a pair of hands?), and as he was drying his hands he heard the front door close. 

Stefan mentally braced himself for whatever state his friend might be in. He realised he was staring at the entrance to the kitchen and quickly turned to do something –anything – else to appear casual and not at all worried. Rash’s soft footsteps padded down the hall and Stefan grabbed a pen and posed as if he was trying to complete a Su Doku puzzle in the Radio Times. 

Rash walked into the kitchen. “Stef.”

Stefan looked up. “Hi.” Again, another awkward silence. “How was your evening?”

Rash shrugged and walked further into the kitchen, closer to Stefan. “Look about earlier… I’m sorry, I was a dick-”

Stefan interrupted. “Mate, I was the dick, asking all those questions when you clearly didn’t want to answer them.” Stefan met Rash’s eyes and held his gaze. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.” Rash smiled a small smile at his friend. 

Stefan broke the look and turned around. “Can I make you a cuppa?”

“I’d love one, thanks.” He took his blazer off, and headed back into the hallway, presumably towards his room. Stefan boiled the kettle, prepared the cups and headed off to the bathroom. When he returned he found Rash staring at the Su Doku Stefan feigned he was trying to complete. 

“You know, you haven’t filled in a single square.” Before Stefan could respond, Rash added with a laugh, “Because the paper is upside down.”

 _Ah. Rumbled_ , Stefan thought. The kettle conveniently chose that moment to boil and Stefan sheepishly walked past the puzzle that Rash was laughing about. He made their drinks, passing Rash his and their fingers brushed together ever so slightly. Stefan went to sit down on their settee, but Rash sat opposite him, holding his cup on his knee and pinching the bridge of his nose. Stefan drummed his fingers on his mug, waiting to see if Rash would say anything. A number of still moments passed. No, he didn’t.

“I texted Leila,” Stefan confessed.

“What? Why?” Rash asked, not looking at Stefan.

Stefan snorted. “Why? Why do you think?” He winced at his own tone and took his level down a notch. “I was worried. I’ve never seen you like that before.”

“Stefan, we’ve known each other for what, six months or so? Stop acting like you know everything. You don’t.”

Ouch. Stefan visibly winced at that comment and Rash saw, instantly regretting those words. “Mate, I’m sorry. Maybe I should go to bed, I’ll be a nicer person tomorrow.”

“If you go to bed now, you’ll lie awake thinking about it.” Stefan looked at Rash and finally their eyes met. “Now, I’m not saying you talk to me, but at least talk to your sister-”

“Leila knows.”

Stefan paused, his eyes a little wider and eyebrows slightly raised. “So you’ve spoken to her about this, whatever this is?”

Rash took a sip of his drink. “I didn’t need to.”

Stefan frowned and sat back in his seat, not realising he had leaned forwards. “Wait, what?”

“It’s the anniversary of our dad’s death.”

Oh.

“Oh,” Stefan spoke softly. He swallowed some of his tea, mulling this over. The dark suit, the bouquet, the icy tone in response to Stefan’s joke questions instead of a matching humorous tone, it was clear as crystal. “I suppose you’ve been with Leila all evening.”

Rash nodded, sipping his drink. “And Mum.”

“So, er, how are you? How are you all?”

Rash breathed a smile. “I’m just fine,” he murmured sarcastically. “Seriously, Stef, you don’t have to hear this-”

“Rash, I am here for you, you know that, right?” He gestured at himself. “Just look at where I am.” At that, Rash cracked a small smirk. “Seriously, though, I don’t want to force you into telling me.”

“No, it’s fine,” Rash said, placing his cup on the table. “It’s like it always is, cold and damp and stood in a graveyard with your mum crying, your sister on the verge of tears and you’re trying to keep it together because someone has to.” A sad chuckle. “I miss him.”

Stefan leaned forwards and placed his hand on his friend’s knee. “If you need anything-”

“Yeah, I know.” Rash placed his own hand atop Stefan’s hand. “Thank you.” They looked at each other for a moment, not a word passed through either’s lips but everything was said. Then, Rash lifted his hand and took the cup off the table. “And thanks for the drink, I downed it.”

Stefan smiled a genuine and relieved smile. “Anytime.”

He made a mental note to withhold childish retorts on this date.


End file.
